Mikan's Origins
by WasRobinHood
Summary: AU. Mikan Sakura, a common boring forest-dweller, thought she knew absolutely everything she could know about herself, until three strangers suddenly claims that they knew more about her background than she did.
1. Chapter One: Three's A Crowd

**1.**

The night was young and ripe, a bright full moon shining above to prove this. The camp was bustling with movement, as usual. A bright orange glow emitted from the camp sight, a traveler could see this even if they were in a long distance from the forest. There was the occasional laugh as well, and the clinking of glass. It was a cheerful and relaxing atmosphere.

All the while, a pair of watchful hazel eyes looked down at her camp, balancing herself from a branch from the highest tree she could find. Her expression was warm, but careful. When she would spot someone stray from the camp site, she would watch him attentively, before whoever it would be would come back to the camp once again, much to her satisfaction and relief.

This was the normal night-time routine for the young run-away. She paused to think about that sentence. Would she consider herself as one of her peers? She let a bitter smile cross her features. A run-away, escaping from a dark past she refused to follow?

 _Well, not exactly…_

The teen then smiled woefully at the night sky that spread across her, thinking back at her strange past.

It was only fourteen years ago that she had been found by a nervous couple who had heard the noise, crying inside a mysterious basket case that only held the necessaries for a baby, her name, a necklace, and instructions.

 _Her name is Mikan. My little tangerine. Please take care of her._

That was what the letter said, her foster parents had told her. And when she took a look at it herself, it was true. No explanations as to who set her there, or what her story was. The handwriting was elegant, in cursive, but it was obvious that it had been written quickly, she some lines and letters strayed.

But ever since then, she had been taken in by the lovely couple, who were beaming, not believing their luck of how now that they had a wonderful child to finally take care of.

Ever since then, she had been raised in these exact woods, following the traditions of her known home and happily playing around with her friends she had known since childhood.

Of course, she kept the locket to herself. The stone that hung from golden chains was a brilliant orange, which matched her name perfectly. When she felt nervous or insecure, she would unconsciously grip the orange stone at the end of the necklace, and a burst of strength would come back right at her.

She didn't know why she felt so secure when she gripped the necklace. It was a silly tick she had, and many people had teased her about it. Maybe it was reassure of her past guardians caring for her enough to at least give her a parting gift.

However, there was always a strange feeling of uneasiness that always stirred inside of her as she thought of these things.

She didn't exactly hate how she was brought up. In fact, she loved it! She was raised happily and humbly, she had great friends, and through many years of survival in the woods, she had learned to be a great fighter in the wild.

But… there were times were she would suddenly stop and think back at would could've been if whoever her parents where didn't just abandon her. It was obvious that things would be different then. Where would she live then, she would wonder, like as she wondered right now. The people she would meet would be different. Maybe even her personality, likes, dislikes, they would all be different.

Maybe she would have turned into a snob, with an always following air of superiority, looking down at people who were lower than her, and glaring at those who dared to reach her level. Her hair would be longer, and more well-kept, unlike her current state, and she would judge everyone harshly before letting them have the luck to talk to her.

Maybe she would have turned out to be cold, always distancing myself from everyone in an arm's length, even my closest family and friends, afraid at what would happen if she let someone close with her lack of experience. She would stutter her words, and constantly hid herself behind a book she always carried.

Maybe she would end up being an extremely clumsy, idiotic girl, childishly screaming at every thought that came to her and sticking her tongue out at those who annoyed her even a little bit. She would have a best friend, perhaps, and her blood would always boil at the thought of someone who always teased her to a point where she would see red.

Gripping the trunk of the oak true tightly, the brunette felt her heart clench more and more as her mind continued to run away with these rebelling thoughts.

 _Stop this,_ she chided herself. _Things are as they are, and no one can change that, Mikan. Things happen for a reason, you know? Remember? Uncle told you this._

Uncle Kazu. Well, not really 'uncle'. Apparently, he was a visitor to the camp site, and he had helped her foster parents take care of her for a while. Because of this, he and her foster parents became great friends, and he would sometimes visit her.

She remembered. There was one time when she was six, when he visited. Mikan suddenly felt bitter about her past guardians abandoning her and she complained about this to him, him being silent and expressionless the whole time. At the end of it, he just simply sighed, but he gave her a smile.

' _Mikan, things are as they are, and no one can change that,' he told her, experience clear in his words. The six-year-old Mikan was looking down at the wooden planked floor, refusing to look at anyone but her shoes as her eyes suddenly teared up._

' _I don't know why they did that to you, but they probably did it for a good cause. Now eat your lunch, okay? I spent time catching that fish.'_

With these more relaxing thoughts, Mikan felt her heart calm down to its natural state, and her hand had stopped gripping the oak tree like it was her lifeline. She felt the sweat on her forehead cool with the chilly, night air. She didn't even realize she was sweating.

Looking down at her camp site, she grimaced _. I can't even handle myself with my own stupid and depressing thoughts_ , she thought to herself bitterly, almost scoffing.

 _How is she supposed to handle a whole village in the middle of the deep woods where anything could happen, where it was practically vulnerable?_

As if proving her whole point, a sudden explosion and a small scream resounded from just above and at the left side of the camp site, causing Mikan's breath to hitch and her terrified eyes to widen, and within a flash, she was gone from the same branch she was once on before.

Not a single trace showed that she was there in the first place.

/

"Why the hell did you do that, Hyuuga?" Steely amethyst eyes dangerously glared at a slightly lean backside, its features being highlighted by the fire just in front of them. However, he simply shrugged nonchalantly, a small flame flickering just an inch above his palm.

"As you just saw, he was threatening us."

"And were you not aware of the gunpowder just behind you, _idiot?_ " she hissed at him, her blood boiling at his foolish actions. Before the man could lash out an insult at her, another male teen, almost as tall as the first, stepped in between them.

"Natsume, we have to deal with the small fire first," he muttered loud enough for both of them to hear. "We're in a middle of the forest, remember? It'll spread. And we're already attracted much attention enough. Isn't this supposed to be a stealth mission?"

The first male teen – Natsume, it seems – clenched his jaw, but didn't argue. He was right, as always. This was supposed to be a stealth mission.

"I already have water with me," the other teen – a female, with raven hair cut extremely short to a pixie cut and purple eyes like gems – stated to her partners coolly. She had a remote control in her hand. In cue, a strange mechanism approached them. It looked like a baby elephant, except it was obvious that it was a fake. Curiously, it held a water bucket with its trunk.

Its design was sleek and minimalistic, its eyes and surface shining against the moonlight. The inventor had graduated from immature and colorful designs years ago, ditching the tradition the day she left elementary.

In a nonchalant press of a button, the robotic elephant placed the water bucket down and started to suck up the water with its nose, and it started spewing out the water back into the small fire.

Next, a _caw_ suddenly escaped from above them, and they all looked up to see a murder of crows circling above them, carrying leaves that spilled with fresh water. The other male teen - a blond with blue eyes with a Western beauty - smiled at the sight of them, waving slightly in greeting. When an unfortunate flame-caster managed to get wet by one of the stupid spills, he let his annoyance known very clearly by sputtering out a lot and a lot of curse words.

It was ignored, however, as the crows the swooped down on the fire and spilled more and more water on it individually. Eventually, the fire was put out, leaving nothing but smoldering ground and a whimpering drunkard who was still there to take in the scene. It was now clear who these strange people were.

Alices.

The other male teen bowed thankfully at the birds. "Thank you for your help, Crow-kun!" In response, they all bowed as well (a silly sight, let me tell you), then flapped their wings and flew away, leaving a few black feathers in their wake.

The girl snorted at the sight, crouching down to pick up a feather and inspect it. "Show-off."

"Ooh! You guys are Alices, huh?"

They greeted the new voice with snaps of their neck towards their newcomer. A girl, around the same age as they were, was sitting Indian-style casually at a branch from a tree. The said tree was half-smoldering, being slightly caught in the fire. She didn't seem to mind this however, only focusing her attention more at the three.

They were… new. And strange. That's all she could describe them. By the time she had flashed her way towards the sound of the explosion, all she had seen was the sight of smoldering ash and a strange animal-like contraption, dismissing the strangers. Anyway, she had never seen them before, she was sure about it. And they all wore strange uniforms, a type of clothing she had never laid her eyes on before. All she was familiar with was cotton clothes that her camp site – or village, if anything – usually wore, and different degrees of armor.

"Who are you?" Natsume couldn't hold himself back from asking such a rude question. This girl that they were looking at right now… Even though he wouldn't admit it, she was pretty. He could feel him internally scowl at himself at even thinking such a stupid and cheesy thing. But it was true.

Her brown, almost noticeably copper hair if held against the moonlight was tied up into a secure ponytail, but that didn't limit its ability to fall in majestic waves around her shoulders. Her skin was pale, almost glowing because of the full moon, but visibly soft. She had lean shoulders, which was often dismissed as a flaw among women, but it was gave her a look of being easily capable. Her hazel, almost golden eyes under the moonlight inspected them, and they shone in such a way that Natsume held back a shudder, feeling her gaze bore through his soul and past it.

He immediately looked away, deciding not to let his strange thoughts stray any longer than that. They were on a mission, after all.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking such a question?" Her tone was playful, but threatening at the same time. Hotaru stared back at her as she stood up, not letting her cold gaze fall from the stranger. Ruka ran a nervous hand through his hair, evidently nervous.

"I-I'm sorry, Miss, but now's not the right time to tell you."

Mikan blinked stupidly at the blondie. Ah... Secretive types. She let a sigh escape her lips. She understood now - she's dealt with them before. With that, she pushed herself up and stood up on the branch, still not getting down from the tree.

"Then what were you doin…?" Her voice faltered as her gaze traveled back to the whimpering drunk. Did you forget about him? Well, he was still there, and as a non-Alice user… Truth be told, he was petrified.

In their world, people were separated. If you didn't have an Alice, you were normal, just the ordinary type, whatever. Boring.

However, being born with an Alice gave you power, both in a literal sense and in a social sense… Back in the past eras and even before them, Non-Alice users were terrified of such power, and truthfully, even with more knowledge of them, they still were. Because of this, they were usually nobles, or at least respectable people.

However, they would always warn you about the golden-eyed girl. She never showed any signs of any Alices after all this time she stayed here, but they would tell you about her aura. Like she was above us. And technically, she was! She was the adopted kid of the mayor of the village. Not only that, but she was trained, and skilled with her weapons as well. She could drag you to the ground and make you stay there if you so much reached for her neck.

She was sweet and apparently kind, but who knew what would happen if they provoked her. That's why they never dared to.

Her gaze softened at the sight of him. He was quaking all over, close to dirtying his pants even more. The poor old* man.

"Anasaki, you can go now," she told him. He jumped, surprised to hear that she knew his name. Her voice was gentle as to not scare away the poor guy, but the intention was clear. It was a command.

'Leave.'

Immediately, he ran for the hills.

Mikan smiled at the sight, amused. "Jeez. What did you do to him?"

The blondie frowned. "He threatened us," he defended. He felt Natsume's dangerous gaze on his backside, but he swiftly ignored it. "This guy here," he gestured towards the brooding-type teen, "just did self-defense. That's all."

The mentioned guy grunted. Whether it was agreement or not, they weren't so sure.

Hotaru couldn't handle it anymore. The tense air around them was getting ridiculous, and they were wasting time.

"Now that's out of the way… We'll be leaving now," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly to the stranger, and she saw her eyes focus on her instead. "Please do not mind our presence here. We are simply here to stay for the night. After that, we will be moving on with our travels."

Mikan's mouth left out a single 'ah' of understanding, and she nodded. They were travelers. A simple enough explanation enough... Finally, she jumped down, brushing imaginary dirt off herself, and she stretched her limbs for a bit. "Should I accompany you around, then, since you're new?"

For some reason, all three of them had stiffened, which she frowned at as she stretched her arms. Did they not like her?

Simultaneously, they looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

When the strange girl – Natsume's decided to call her Amber for now, as reference to her eyes – jumped from the tree to the ground (he was not shocked, he had done it himself plenty of times), a necklace with an orange stone hanging off it was clear in midair. And when she stretched her body (he decided to quickly ignore the skin that peeked when her black shirt stretched as she did), a golden chain was easily visible, leading towards the stone that hid under her scarf. And a familiar one, at that.

" _Black Cat, Usagi, Swan Lake," a brooding voice greeted them as they entered his office professionally, like they were merely professional businessmen and not his students. A white mask covered his eyes, and spiky hair that looked like needles, this man was Persona, the teacher of the Dangerous Ability Type class._

 _Although Usagi and Swan Lake were not part of the class, they still had people important to them, which was the reason he's managed to have all of them tied around his manicured finger. They're Alices were innocent, but not if used properly._

 _Without any more time, he pushed a photograph towards the three. They looked at it. It was a picture of a brilliant orange Alice stone, being used as a necklace with the intricate gold designs and chains that surrounded it._

" _Your mission is to find this stone at once," Persona told the three students clearly, making sure every word sunk to their skulls and stayed there. "We have managed to locate three discreet locations of where it could've been hiding these past years. All the information will be in this manila envelope."_

 _He tossed the enveloped towards them, and Black Cat caught it midair, already used to this process. The blonde beside him, however, didn't look so well. This was the first mission they were having that they had to leave the boundaries of the school, and he wasn't sure he was ready._

 _Unfortunately, Persona is not the type to wait for someone to be ready._

 _Hotaru was distracted. She stared at the picture critically. "The Nullification Alice…" she murmured, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Ruka snapped his head towards her. Natsume gazed towards her curiously._

 _Persona grinned; a sinister sight. "Ah, that's right! A rare Alice, the only known existence of it being on myths and legends that circulated around the blue blood… Its effects were not descriptive from the story books, but it's said that it cancels out an Alice from being used."_

 _This spiked interests in the three of the young students._

 _Persona's eyes hardened however, before they could ask further questions. "Now go. Don't waste your limited time. I want that necklace back to this academy in at least three months, you hear me?"_

 _With that warning, they immediately left, putting on their masks as they did. The Black Cat, with a black mask that covered his whole face with cat-like designs; Usagi, with a white mask with two ears protruding at the top and three red strokes at each side; and the Swan Lake, with a black and white that blended in feather-like patterns._

" _Do whatever you must to get that stone."_

As the three stared at each other with mutual understanding in their eyes, Mikan was starting to get anxious, and it showed, as she shifted her weight awkwardly. The silence was killing her, and personally, she did not like to wait.

Mikan pursed her lips, done with her stretching. "Well?" she demanded at the three as she crossed her arms across her chest, slightly annoyed at their silence. "Am I going to help you guys around or not?"

They snapped back at her with a seemingly new light in their eyes.

"Please do."

* * *

Ah… Yeah, a bit of a cliffhanger, sorry.

So! A few explanations. Yes, they're all 14 years old in this one. I like staying around that range of age, as it's the one I'm most familiar with. And yes, Mikan is kinda OOC… Sorry! I just like her having this badass vibe, especially in fanfics.

*Anasaki, the guy who almost pissed himself at seeing the weird Alice people, isn't actually an old man. He's mid-twenties, for goodness sake. But Mikan just calls anyone past twenty years old 'old man'. Another weird trait of hers.

Another important thing to note, is that this is sort of a Medieval AU. It's not in the Modern Era, that's for sure... Kinda like a time where there would be elves and Dungeons and Dragons stuff, especially since all their clothes and surroundings and all that will be based off that, except it's nothing but the Alice world instead of fighting off goblins and evil witches or whatever.

That's all I can say for now! Please note that I'm also working on my other stories as well, so please be patient.

\- V.


	2. Chapter Two: Catching Up

**2.**

After their encounter, Mikan prided herself in proving that she was a good citizen by guiding them to the most suitable place to stay. She knew what the people thought of her, of course – she may be quite dense at some times, but she wasn't stupid enough to not notice that.

Uneasy gazes followed the four's every move. Soon enough, rumors flew around the extended campsite quick, traveling by hushed whispers and sneaked glances at the group. Mikan grimaced at this. She knew gossip ran by fast in her hometown, since it was so small, and she had hoped not to be a victim of such silly lies they call rumors. But fate decided to go against her this time, it seems.

"Do they really have to look at us like that…?" she heard the brooding-type teen mutter under his breath, obviously annoyed by the unasked attention. She silently agreed.

Blondie (she decided to call him that flippantly, by obvious reasons) suddenly cleared his throat, trying to maintain the tense atmosphere. "So, uh, Miss…?" he trailed off.

"Uhm, Sakura," she finished lamely. She didn't trust them just yet to reveal her first name.

He flashed her a dazzling smile, and even though it was in the middle of the night, it was still painfully obvious that he was handsome. His blonde hair cascaded and framed his face like waves, and Mikan wondered if that was natural. He had sparkling blue eyes as well, that reminded her of the day sky. _Such a gentle and friendly aura_ , she mused with an internal smile.

Now that she thought of it – with eyebrows furrowed and an amused smile playing at her lips – all these three were beautiful, in their own ways.

The other woman with them had glistening raven hair cut in a pixie style and her bangs were swept to one side. She also had purple eyes, amethyst even, that seemed cold and calculating as they flickered around them as if to analyze her surroundings. She emitted a graceful yet unapproachable aura, almost like a princess, and Mikan's mind buzzed around that thought for a second.

"We're sorry we disturbed you to do such a task," he continued, snapping her out of her reverie for the moment (which she then easily waved off, saying it was nothing), "but we were hoping we would stay until for at most three months here… Maybe a few days, at the least." _Depending on how successful they were on their mission._ But he didn't dare speak of this.

Mikan gave him a questioning look, and her eyes flickered towards the amethyst-eyed girl, who only kept silent. She remembered the tense conversation previously. Didn't she say they were leaving tomorrow just a while ago?

"A change of plans, then?" she asked, trying her best to be polite and hiding the curiosity that was edging out of her voice.

"Yes, I hope you won't mind," Blondie stated in a gentle voice, a soft smile crossing his features. Yet, Mikan could spy some slight uneasiness in his eyes. She wondered why. "We just wanted to take a break from our, uhm, travels, that's all. Right, _guys_?" That last sentence seemed a bit forced, but she decided to ignore this detail.

She could see the girl nod stiffly. The loner of the group shrugged his shoulders, hands deep in his pockets as he nonchalantly walked.

Ah, speaking of… The other boy, the tallest one that she had mentioned, had raven hair as well – just like the Purple Girl ( _Hey, that rhymed_! she cheered mentally), except it was disheveled and looked like he hasn't even bothered with it in a while - or at all, for that matter. But the thing that brought him out of place was his eyes, which were such a threatening shade of crimson red that she had never seen before that her own eyes almost widened at the sight of them.

She couldn't help but eye him (or his eyes, rather) for a while as they walked, amazed by the fact that such a color even existed for irises, when Blondie awoke her from her stupor once again by calling her name.

She blinked, and she couldn't stop the slight blushed that crossed her cheeks when she realized she was staring. "U-Uh. Yes?"

"I was just asking you if you could tour us around this–…" He hesitated. "uh, village, one day," he stammered. Mikan repressed the urge to snort. She couldn't blame him. Even after living here for so long, she still couldn't decided whether to call it a very, very big campsite or a village. At the end, she would always rather just call it 'home'.

She smiled at the trio, however. She didn't mind the company at all. New friends always meant new things to come. "Sure!" Although they were strange, she didn't mind strange. Birds of the same feather flock together.

"Mikan!"

She snapped her head up at the sudden call of her name as the other three did as well, and she slapped herself internally. _Welp_ , she thought sadly, kicking herself (and whoever that was, for that matter) multiple times in her head, _there goes my hidden identity._

The source of the voice turned out to belong to one of her good friends, Koko. At the sight of him rushing to her, she couldn't help but grin and laugh when he finally caught up to him.

"Don't overexert yourself, you might faint," she teased him, momentarily forgetting her three guests. When the dirty-blond finally managed to catch his bed, he playfully glared at her. However, his everlasting grin still stayed. "But hey, Koko," she finished with a wide smile. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, right." Koko faced the newcomers with startling curiosity, his grin not wavering one bit as he shouldered his bow and arrow to his shoulder. It sort of creeped them out a bit. Why was he _still_ smiling? "Ah. Freshmeat, I'm assuming?"

"Your name is _Mikan?_ " the crimson-eyed boy suddenly accused, eyeing the mentioned brunette with sudden distrust. She frowned. "You said your name was Sakura."

She flinched slightly. Ah, there it was. "It's my last name, stupid," she deadpanned. She didn't fail to see Amethyst girl snicker at my thrown insult and Blondie to crack a wary yet amused smile. Crimson-Eyed just glared at her silently, fuming in his own stew. She guessed he wasn't treated like this frequently.

"B-By the way," Blondia blurted out. Might as well, since they were staying here for three months, right? "My name… You said you wanted to know, so... It's Ruka Nogi. But calling me Ruka's fine!" he hastily added. He secretly crossed his fingers, hoping they wouldn't recognize the name.

Fortunately, they didn't. If they did, they kept quiet about it.

The two forest-dwellers turned to the remaining two, expecting them to introduce themselves as well. Mikan was grinning, watching Koko's perfectly. It was almost comical. To Mikan's surprise, they did, as Amethyst let out a exasperated breath.

"Hotaru Imai," she stated in a monotone voice, daring to raise her hand for Koko to shake. "You can call me anything you like."

He immediately jumped at the chance. "Cool!" he cheered. "Can I call you Stoneheart? You don't show a lot of expression, so I can't read you at all."

Their grip suddenly tightened way too much, and Koko let go with a yelp. Mikan and Ruka jumped. Crimson-Eyed remained composed. "Right," Koko muttered, rubbing his sore hand, a cheeky grin still on his face that slightly wavered in fear. "That's a no, then."

Mikan let out an amused giggle at the amusing display, her grin wide, then quickly facing the fire-caster. "Well, how about you?" she suggested, her grin dropping to a friendly smile.

His gaze on her turned steely. "I don't have to introduce myself to you." Her smile dropped.

She narrowed her eyes at him and was about to reprimand him when Ruka's voice jumped in. "Don't mind him," he explained, smiling nervously at the ticked off petite girl. "He's always like that… He'll warm up to you eventually."

She held herself back and didn't say anything, yet she still had her eyes narrowed on Broodie (his temporary name for now, until she can think of worse ones), irritation clear on her facial features. He just seemed nonchalant.

No. She looked closer at his expression. He was _amused_. His eyes twinkling, a ghost of a smirk on his face. Another strong pang of irritation slapped her face.

Bastard. That's another temporary name.

Koko let a low whistle. "Dang." _What an attitude_. He didn't have to say it – it floated in the air, clear to her eyes. Mikan silently agreed.

Hotaru's clearing of throat brought their attention to her. "As much as I liked to stay her and chat," her voice said otherwise, "we'd like the promised place to stay while we stay here now please."

Mikan blinked, calming down at this point of time. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. _Right._ That's what they were doing before. She had forgotten.

She let out an awkward cough, a soft blush coloring her cheeks in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah! Sorry. Follow me, then."

"Can I come as well?" Koko jumped in.

"No." Hotaru was quick to respond, narrowing her eyes at him. It was obvious she had a (personally understanding) distaste for the goofy blond. Or maybe it was distrust? Understandable, either way.

His smile didn't waver. "So you guys are Alices as well, huh?" Mikan's eyes widened for a fraction. Wha– Huh? How did he find _that_ out? He wasn't there when she had approached them, was he?

They fell silent.

"Fine," Hotaru bit out, her face still expressionless but her eyes showed a different story. It was dangerous, and gave off a feeling of the calm before a storm. This was blackmail, after all, and she personally couldn't believe she was beaten on her own expertise. "You may aid us, but only until we arrive to our destination."

His grin seemed to widen. "Cool." He didn't notice the murderous aura that came from her – and if he did, he swiftly ignored it.

/

"She looked like she was gonna kill you, you know," Mikan dropped her voice into a low murmur as she watched the trio talk to a landlord at the corner of her eyes. They seemed to be arguing with the poor man, and it seemed like they were very much winning.

Koko just grinned wider. A repetitive action of his. "I noticed." Ah, so he did.

"You're such a masochist," she mused, amusement lacing her voice as she watched the argument. He didn't bother denying her on it. He was dating Sumire Shouda anyway, that was enough proof.

"How are things going with you guys, by the way?" she blurted out as soon as the thought came to her. She struggled with her words for a bit. "I-I mean, you and Permy. How is she?"

Koko snorted. "You still call her that?"

She grinned, turning her head to him for a bit. "Old habits die hard," she replied smartly, crossing her arms across her chest to give off a stricter feel. "Come on, tell me. I haven't heard from her for so long!"

Truth be told, Koko was actually only dropping by home for a while, and soon he'll be whisked away with his girlfriend and his team once again to do some chores her foster dad had probably assigned them. This was only his second day of his visit, he would be gone in a week, and she didn't have the chance to talk to him at all yesterday since she was so busy.

"She's blaming you for that, by the way," he told her, and her hazel brown eyes widened, this pulling her into reality. "She has this idea that her job is way harder and busier than yours."

She glowered at this. Permy was always unfair when it came to her, especially on the topic of their village-work positions. "Just because she has to get out of home to complete her stupid jobs—"

"Hey, hey, don't argue with her through me," Koko joked, holding his hands up in mock-surrender, his face displaying playful horror. "You can tell that to her when she gets back here as well."

She clicked her tongue annoyingly. "I guess that means she's okay," she sighed, calming herself down. "She's always like this... A bit stressed out, probably, knowing her. That's probably why she's like this."

Koko beamed at her. "Spot on analysis, as always. Nice gut feeling. It's almost like you can read her mind from here."

"Of course," she gasped, pretending to be offended. "You know me, Koko. Precious daughter of the Sakura village-leaders, trained since birth. Have you forgotten?"

"Maybe it's because that blow at the back of the head you gave me yesterday," he mused out, rubbing the said spot unconsciously. They had bumped into each other yesterday, but Mikan ran off before he had the chance to say anything to her. "I think it was you who—"

"Excuse me," a cold voice interrupted their chat. It was Hotaru, while the two boys stood behind her like bodyguards. "We've gotten our spaces to sleep for during our stay her." She nodded stiffly towards Mikan, purposely ignoring Koko. "Thank you for guiding us , Sakura. We hope to see you again soon."

"Please," she said, smiling widely. "Call me Mikan."

Hotaru eyed the brunette, purposely ignoring the comfort and warmth that spread across her. She treated her like they were best friends already; why? Wasn't she wary of him? A group of strange travelers – with Alices, too, of all kinds of people – suddenly some barging into her life, and she isn't any way displeased. Was she this easily trusting?

She felt a pang of regret at that thought, but she quickly dismissed it.

"Yes, yes," she replied, her voice gripped with steel, slightly impatient. Unknown to them, the two boys felt shocked. There was something else in her voice only the two could detect: warmth. "Of course, Mikan."

/

By the time they had arrived at their assumed spot, the sun was already starting to rise. The sun's warm colors spread across the sky, and Ruka watched it with a small smile, a content expression on his face. He had always loved how the warm colors blended with the cool ones, prodding and pushing it away and slowly turning the sky a warm orange – a beautiful color.

A new day begins.

After the two friends were gone after waving them goodbye (Natsume didn't bother, of course), Ruka turned to the girl curiously.

"You seem to like Sakura-san, Imai," he gently prodded her with his observation, and he watched her carefully, waiting for a reaction. "You don't usually agree with calling someone with their first name."

Hotaru was still expressionless, as always, but her voice gave her away. "Baka," she murmured under her breath, still staring on their retreating form. "Did you forget your mission? The reason we're staying here in the first place?"

Natsume nodded curtly. He knew it very well, from the start. Ruka, however, blinked, letting her words sink through. _Yes, you idiot, did you forget?_ He chided to himself softly. _You're supposed to find the Nullification Stone, and_ she _has it._

For some reason, this pained the young blond.

* * *

This chapter is a bit shorter than the usual word count stop I have (which is at least 3000+ words, mind you), buuut… *shrug* This seems like a good place to stop this chapter for now, eh?

 **Anilissa:** Ah, don't worry about that, there'll definitely be romance in this. It'll focus a lot more on the plot though, but I guarantee that every time I wrote GA fanfiction, there _will_ be romance. I'm just too obsessed with the NatsuMikan ship! :D So yes, it'll be there either way.

Review if you can! I'd appreciate it a lot. x

\- V.


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